MOBILE SALES

A mobile store operates in a similar way to a market stall. A mobile stall can operate out of any vehicle or trailer that is suitable for the produce. For example Sussex Peasant uses a truck for their mobile shop, and Home Farmer uses a converted horse trailer for their mobile milk dispenser.

Mobile stores visit different locations on different days of the week, bringing produce to the heart of a community. This is particularly beneficial in places where a community has lost its local amenities. By providing a temporary market, the mobile stall also provides a place for people to meet and to learn about and engage with local produce. By operating in different locations each day, sales are more concentrated then if a shop or stall is available to customers every day. This helps to increase revenue and improve viability.

If the mobile store sells on behalf of a number of local producers, it can save each farm a significant amount of staff time compared with producers setting up and staffing an individual market stall. It also means that a wider range of produce can be offered to customers even through the hungry gap.

Setting up and packing away a mobile stall will be less time consuming than having to set up and pack away stalls in multiple venues and can bypass the need to spend time finding suitable venues. On the downside, trucks do break down, the day may need to start early in the morning, setting up and then staffing the stall is hard work and a long day. In addition, unless the mobile stall can tag onto some existing community convergence or activity, work may need to be done to create demand and routine in customers’ minds.

To operate a mobile stall, you’ll need to be licensed as a food retailing business, obtain a street trading license, and ensure you comply with Environmental Health and Trading Standards. In the sections below we look at packaging choices and options to receive payments.

Advantages

 * Sales are more concentrated than at a shop or stall available to customers every day.
 * The set-up is less time consuming than a market stall.
 * If operated on behalf of a group of producers, a mobile stall saves the time of each producer staffing their own market stall separately.
 * The innovative and attractive model attracts new customers.
 * Local produce is ‘showcased’ and promoted.

Disadvantages

 * Requires initial investment in the mobile stall and refrigeration.
 * Trucks break down and require maintenance.
 * Harder to predict cash flow and sales volumes.
 * May require an early start to the day and a lot of staffing time.